Photo courtesy of Blue Collar
Audio By Carbonatix
Another beloved restaurant has closed its doors in Miami this year.
Blue Collar served its last plate on Sunday, May 17, ending its longtime run on Biscayne Boulevard. Owner Danny Serfer announced the closure on Instagram on Friday, May 15. The post quickly sent shockwaves throughout the community.
“There are truly no words to express how grateful we are for the love, loyalty, and support Miami has shown us throughout this journey,” he writes in the post.
Community outpour quickly filled the Instagram comments. “To those of us who were there at (or near) the beginning, you built an institution that we’ll never forget and is forever part of Miami’s culinary history,” wrote one commenter. “I’ll miss it like I do the Rascal House.” Chef Allen Susser weighed in, too. “Thank you for all that you have done for the community and all of the wonderful meals and memories that you provided for us all.”
Fourteen Years on Biscayne
Serfer opened Blue Collar in 2012 in an 800-square-foot space at 6730 Biscayne Blvd.
At that time, the MiMo neighborhood wasn’t a dining neighborhood. However, Michelle Bernstein’s Michy’s and Kris Wessel’s Red Light were already open nearby, so Serfer bet on the block. He told New Times in 2022, “I figured I would do this, and when it doesn’t work out, at least it could help me get a job.”
That bet paid off fast. A decade later, the tiny eatery was still going strong.
Blue Collar photo
A Cult-Favorite Menu
The menu featured comfort-food favorites like mac and cheese, Philly cheesesteaks, a chalkboard full of rotating vegetable sides, and braised meats. It was also known for its Chanukah latkes served year-round, pork and beans, and a dry-aged burger that regulars still demand the recipe for.
“Most of our staff have been with us for over ten years,” Serfer wrote. “We’ve grown up together, celebrated together, struggled together, and created something that was always about more than just food.” The room was small, and the staff stayed loyal for years, with Junior Pericles working prep from day one through the final service.
It became so popular that Blue Collar won not one, not two, but five New Times “Best Of” awards. It most recently won “Best Vegetarian-Friendly Restaurant in Miami” in 2024.
Photo by Michael Pisarri
The Expansion, and the End
In June 2024, after 12 years in the original space, Serfer moved Blue Collar across the street. He opened the restaurant at the former Balan’s location, at 6789 Biscayne Blvd.
The new room was 4,000 square feet, five times the size of the original, with a full bar for the first time and patio seating. Serfer furnished the space himself, thrifting mid-century pieces that fit the neighborhood’s MiMo aesthetic. He called it “The New Blue,” promising the same menu and pricing.
Sunday’s closure comes just seven weeks after Serfer closed Mignonette, his Edgewater seafood spot that ran for 12 years at 210 NE 18th St. He confirmed to New Times he’s already been working as Director of Culinary at Kaseya Center for those same seven weeks.
On the morning of Monday, May 18, he told New Times, “Today is the first day I woke up on a Monday with no restaurants to my name for the first time in almost 15 years. So many feelings. Relief, sadness, pride, excitement,” Serfer said, but he added, “I do really love the new job at Kaseya so far, though.”
Blue Collar. 6789 Biscayne Blvd., Miami; bluecollarmiami.com. Now Closed.
